In the fall of 1961, Geraldine “Gerri” Ferrara made history as one of the first women undergraduates to enroll at the University of Santa Clara. After graduating in 1965, she married fellow Bronco Bill Beasley ’63, and in the spring of 1987 their daughter Betsy graduated from SCU. Betsy married fellow Bronco Jay MacIntosh ’87, and in the fall of 2006, history was made again as Megan MacIntosh, daughter of Jay and Betsy and granddaughter of Gerri and Bill, became the first third-generation woman to attend Santa Clara.
Each year, approximately 30 percent of the incoming class has some alumni connection. Megan and all legacy students have a unique connection to our Santa Clara family, and I am proud of the role the Alumni Association plays in supporting these students through the Alumni Family Scholarship program.
The Alumni Family Scholarship (AFS) program was founded in 1975 by the Council of Past Presidents under the leadership of Bob McCullough ’52 and the late Art Kenny ’32. The goal of the program is to help qualified children and grandchildren of undergraduate alumni meet the cost of tuition at Santa Clara in order to continue the family tradition of an SCU education.
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Louis I. Bannan, S.J., laid the cornerstone for the Alumni Family Scholarships.
Photo: Charles Barry |
The AFS program has been made possible through the generous contributions of many alumni, family, and friends over the years. However, it is (or was) the late Louis I. Bannan, S.J., who helped lay the cornerstone of the program’s success, through his 38 years of dedication to the Alumni Association. Fr. Lou’s family and friends, in recognition of his efforts, made the lead gift that established the AFS program, and they continue to support the program to this day.
The first awards were given to 10 students for the 1977-78 academic year. Thirty years later, more than 100 students are receiving some form of AFS support for the 2006-07 academic year.
Support scholarships with the card
To honor 30 years of Alumni Family Scholarship giving, I am pleased to announce an exciting new addition to the AFS program. As of July 1, 2006, for every new account opened and every purchase made with the Santa Clara University Alumni Association MasterCard credit card, Bank of America will make a contribution to the Santa Clara Alumni Family Scholarship program. In addition to earning points towards cash back, air travel, merchandise, and more (all with no annual fee and a low annual percentage rate), you can also support the Alumni Family Scholarship program–at no additional cost to you. The card is an innovative and creative way to help extend the Santa Clara family tradition to many students who might not otherwise have the opportunity.
If you’re interested in applying for a card, please visit our Web site. Or call 1-800-932-2775 (mention priority code LQB2). The Santa Clara family is what makes us special. As an Alumni Association, we support and celebrate all alumni, not just those with a family connection. But as a first generation Bronco myself, it’s nice to know the Alumni Association will be there to help when (hopefully!) my daughter enrolls at Santa Clara…in the fall of 2020!
Go Broncos!
Kathryn Kale ’86
Executive Director, Alumni Association